Moore: Paul Goldschmidt should be NL MVP, but is his humility hurting his case?

Greg Moore, a columnist with azcentral sports and the Arizona Republic, interviews Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt about leadership and playing your best ball this late in the season.
Tom Tingle/azcentral sports

Paul Goldschmidt is famously reluctant to speak about himself: “I think you guys know that’s not what I’m about.” Greg Moore of azcentral sports took the rare opportunity to ask Goldschmidt a few personal questions.(Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

Headlines in the look-at-me era of digital media — where “likes” make right and the loudest voice takes the point — call Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt “unsung,” “overlooked” and “underrated.”

Odd adjectives to describe a guy who has played in five consecutive All-Star Games and has twice finished second in MVP voting, though understandable given his faith-based humility.

But is the low-key reputation harming his candidacy for the National League’s top individual honor again this season? It’s possible.

Goldschmidt is famously reluctant to speak about himself: “I think you guys know that’s not what I’m about.”

His thoughts about playing meaningful baseball this late in the season are concise but show his passion for winning: “It’s been a couple years, but that’s why you want to show up,” he said, adding later, “It’s always more fun when you’re there trying to make the playoffs.”

He speaks more freely, however, about reading the Bible with his teammates: “A bunch of the guys in this locker room, they started encouraging me and asking me to go to Bible study, so I figured I’d go check it out and see what it was about and started learning about Jesus.

“It definitely changes your priorities and what you think is important.”

Goldschmidt said he’s reading the book of Ecclesiastes, which contains this verse: “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven … a time to be silent and a time to speak.”

With that in mind, I’ll take this opportunity to say the things he won’t about why this year he’s no runner-up.

Goldschmidt aims to walk his devotion, but some of us have been called to preach.

Not flashy, not trendy

Faith brings peace for those who believe. So, the sturdy first baseman with a Bible in his locker doesn’t panic when a throw from across the diamond comes in too far up the line. He simply steps off the bag, snags the ball, spins and applies the tag.

It’s not flashy, not like a Bryce Harper highlight where the Nationals right fielder dives to rob a base hit or throws someone out with a beam of an assist that hits the catcher’s glove before the runner starts his slide.

Goldschmidt doesn’t have Harper’s hair or that trendy hipster beard, but he’s got the numbers. Going into the weekend, they were even in runs (92), home runs (29) and OPS (1.034). They were about even in batting average, with Goldschmidt (.319) trailing Harper (.326) by just a few points, and RBIs, with Goldschmidt (95) doing slightly better at knocking runs in than Harper (87).

Harper has been out since suffering a bone bruise after slipping on first base about a week ago. It’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. But to this point, he’s already missed 13 games, five with the most recent injury. He’s played in less than 80 percent of his team’s games since 2012.

Goldschmidt is as reliable as a clear sky in the Valley. He’s missed only one game this year and has played in more than 90 percent of his team’s games since his first full season in 2012.

Then there’s WAR, wins above replacement, a statistic designed to determine just how much better or worse a player might be than an average-level replacement player.

In this case, Goldschmidt comes in this season at 5.8, good for the NL lead, according to baseball-reference.com. (Houston’s Jose Altuve leads the majors at 6.4.) Harper lands at 4.6.

The Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt celebrates with teammates after homering against the Cubs in the ninth inning earlier this month. It was his third homer of the game.(Photo: Nam Y. Huh, AP)

Winning matters

Believers are taught to stay ready. So, when a line drive gets into the gap and rolls to the wall, the big fella who keeps himself in peak shape turns for second base without pause. He slides in with a double on a play that would have caused ordinary power hitters to blow a hamstring.

Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton is in great shape, too. He and Goldschmidt would look comfortable among football players or strongman competitors. They’ve got shoulders and arms that look carved rather than developed.

Stanton’s MVP claim has to do with the skill most associated with muscle: hitting home runs.

He’s been on a tear, having homered in six games in a row. And he’s on pace to hit 60, a number that hasn’t been so much as approached since Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006.

Goldschmidt isn’t going to hit 60. But if he can pop 11 more in the next 42 games, he’ll have 40.

Aside from that he’s a threat on the base paths in a way that Stanton isn’t. Goldschmidt has 16 stolen bases to Stanton’s two.

Goldschmidt has three triples to Stanton’s zero.

And he has 28 doubles to Stanton’s 25, at least one of which came on the double he legged out against the Astros on Monday.

Plus, the Diamondbacks are in a playoff chase. The Marlins can’t say the same. Winning matters to me in an MVP race.

David Peralta (6) hugs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) prior to a game against the Dodgers.(Photo: David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports)

It's Goldy's team

Followers of Christ are called to be leaders. And with apologies to fellow all-stars Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke and Jake Lamb, and to clubhouse magnets from Jeff Mathis and Chris Iannetta to Archie Bradley and T.J. McFarland, this is Goldschmidt’s team.

He would never say that, but I will.

The Diamondbacks' situation is different from the Rockies and Dodgers.

Colorado has Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado, each in the top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, plate appearances, runs scored, doubles and triples. In hits and total bases, Blackmon is No. 1 and Arenado is No. 3.

Lamb, David Peralta, A.J. Pollock and the recently acquired J.D. Martinez all are having fine years, but not to this level.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Justin Turner all playing at high levels. Again, it’s hard to single out any one as most valuable.

There’s a great case to be made that the MVP should go to the best player on the best team, but asking me, I’d say Clayton Kershaw is the Dodgers' top guy, with closer Kenley Jansen a close second. Kershaw, of course, has been hurt for much of the season. And a closer hasn’t won MVP since Dennis Eckersley 25 years ago.

Bellinger should take rookie of the year. That leaves Turner and Seager. Turner has missed 26 games this year, and the Dodgers didn’t sink. Seager can’t match Goldschmidt’s baseline offensive stats.

Each of these Dodgers are important. But the club would be fine without them.

I don’t want to think about the Diamondbacks without Goldschmidt.

Paul Goldschmidt has played in 90 percent of his games since joining the Diamondbacks for his first full year in 2012.(Photo: D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press)

Day in, day out

Christ teaches the faithful to be humble. And when Goldschmidt gets questions about himself, he deflects and dips into clichés.

Here’s hoping that doesn’t cost him. The Baseball Writers Association of America, which votes on the MVP, is a group of insiders. But it’s possible even they could be swayed by Twitter, cable TV and sports talk radio.

Regardless, Goldschmidt will continue to produce at a clip that could make him the Diamondbacks career leader in virtually every important offensive category.